Frosty
by WhiteDaisies
Summary: A frustrating case and a frustrating time of year mean a very frustrated Beckett.  And what are the chances that Castle will help this situation?  Slim at best.  Castle/Beckett relationship and a case.  *Changed summary same story- see Chp. 5*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I am an on again, off again author, usually only writing when I have a lot of time. And since its winter break, I have a lot of time. So this is meant to be like an entire episode of the show. This is just the teaser because I don't have a lot of time at this specific moment. But trust me, there will be plenty of Castle/Beckett action for those who love their sexual tension (though I don't think there will be a resolution of the tensions…but who knows?)

I may be straying a bit from the popular view of Beckett and Christmas. I'm not sure if its really from the show or if its just sort of assumed that she doesn't like Christmas. But I've decided to take a different approach, which you'll see here (well, later). Hope you all enjoy.

Without further adieu ….

Chapter 1

Snow was falling quietly all over the streets of New York City. It was nearly midnight, and it seemed that for once the city was sleeping. Or at least its occupants were otherwise occupied inside somewhere. Very few noises could be heard from the street and the silence is eerie.

A sudden crash is heard from an alley way as a door is slammed open. A man comes running out, a wild look in his eye. His breath comes out in heavy spurts of white steam. His footsteps seem to echo down the alley for miles. He reaches the street corner and stops, looking to hail a cab. No cabs seem to be out tonight, however, and his body starts to shake. He stands there another few minutes before his body falls to the ground, with no one around to hear the sound.

* * *

"Castle." Detective Beckett says with a curt nod in his direction as they pass in the hall way. He is just getting in for the day and she is already heading back to the break room for a second cup of coffee.

"Detective." He says with a huge smile. "Top o' the morning to ye." Beckett stops, coffee cup in hand and slowly turns on her heels to face him, one eye brow crooked in her signature fashion.

"What?" She says simply and watches his face fall just a little.

"It's a traditional Irish greeting." He says, a little despondently.

"I'm well aware of that Castle. I live on this planet. What I'm not aware of is why you're saying it." She said, one hand falling to her hip.

"Just getting into the spirit detective." He said, and he turned to walk away.

"What spirit?" the tone in her voice made him stop in his tracks. The one thought that had crossed her mind was that Castle was up to something.

"Why the Christmas Spirit detective." He said as if it all made perfect since, a smile on his face that reached all the way to his eyes.

"What does Christmas have to do with a traditional Irish greeting?"

"In case you didn't notice from the fiery hair of my mother and daughter, we celebrate Christmas in a traditional Irish fashion, passed down from generation to generation." He said gleefully.

"And what does a traditional Irish Christmas entail, praytell?" she said, her eyes squinting in slight disbelief.

"Well….mostly a lot of booze." She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her and his grin fell another couple of notches.

"Oh Castle, your family doesn't need a holiday as an excuse for booze. Or a heritage." She said and winked at him as she turned back towards the break room. The wink brought his smile back full force as he turned to face Ryan and Espisito.

"Dude. The grin?" Espisito said simply. Castle simply ignored them and strode over to his usual seat next to Beckett's desk. He began fiddling with her stuff, un-organizing the neatly organized desk.

"Castle!" Beckett said sternly on her way back from the break room. "What did I tell you about my desk!"

"Hands off!" he said, holding his hands up in a surrender position. "But you know you can't really be mad at me this time of year."

"Yes, I can." She said with a glint in her own eye. "This time of year is no different than any other." He was about to protest but he shut his mouth when her phone began to ring on her desk. "Beckett." She picked it up on the first ring. She listened silently for a moment, all of the mirth falling off of her face until she hung up the phone. "We have a body."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: thanks for the reviews guys. As I've said, this is to be like an episode, so at the break insert the "I'm Rick Castle" montage in your mind if you like. If they seem out of character, let me know. Sometimes it's a battle, getting them to say what you want them to say and having them say it like they would say it. :-O Anyway….enjoy!

Beckett stepped out of the driver's side of her car, the wind catching her hair and blowing it out of her face. She shoved her gloved hands into the pockets of her overcoat and looked over at Castle. He had an almost gleeful look on his face as he climbed out of the car, catching her eye. She forced down a smile on her face. She turned her attention to the bustling crime scene they had just pulled up to. This was serious.

She started walking, hearing the crunch of small amounts of ice on the gravel beneath her feet. She turned to her right and saw Dr. Parish hurrying along the same general path. "Lanie." Beckett raised her voice above the lull of sounds in the background to get her attention. "What do we have this morning?"

Looking frazzled, she replied, "Hun, this morning you'll find out when I do." She fell in stride with Beckett, Castle following behind them like a little lost puppy. They passed a uniform officer at the crime tape, and Beckett flashed her badge. The young officer just nodded them through, trying to act as professional as he felt the situation deserved. They stooped under the tap, looking for their victim. All Beckett could see was snow everywhere she looked. She looked around, puzzled, until one of the crime techs pointed to a pile of white on the corner. The three approached slowly, in a straight line.

Peering over edge of the pile, Beckett found herself more surprised than she had expected. "Well, I can honestly say this is a new one." She said, standing up straight again she looked over at Castle, inviting him with her eyes to take a look. He leaned over and froze.

"Oh my god…" he looked back at her over her should as Lanie began to busy herself down closer to the victim. "Seriously?"

Beckett just shook her head slowly. "Yep. It would appear someone killed Frosty last night." She fought back a smile. With a serious face she said, "Poor guy."

* * *

"What do you know?" Beckett said to Espisito while trying to remain as warm as possible.

"Why don't we start with what we don't know. We don't know…who he is, where he was before this happened, and best of all, why he's dressed like a freakin' snowman." He replied with a little bit of bite in his tone. Beckett simply raised an eyebrow at him in response to the tone. "It's the cold ok? You know I hate freezing at a crime scene."

"True that." Castle piped from behind Beckett, making her role her eyes.

"So no ID?" was her only response to all that had gone on around her.

"Not unless its hidden somewhere in that ridiculous getup he's got on. You'll have to talk to Lanie on that one." He said, pulling his collar up around his ears.

"Well, where's Ryan?" she said, looking around Castle behind her.

"Right here boss." He called over Espisito's shoulder, walking up to the group. "With very little to report."

"Awesome. Well, we'll just have to start canvassing I guess. Talk to the local bars and such. See if anyone saw anything. Surely a giant snowman drew some attention."

"Sure thing." Ryan said, with a nod of his head. He and Espisito headed to the bars down the alley way behind them. Espisito muttered something under his breath that Beckett just barely missed.

Beckett smiled and headed back to the body and Lanie. "Please tell me you know something useful as my Cracker jack team seems to have drawn a blank."

"Oh you mean like the fact that I know he bled from somewhere at some point because his suit is stained? Or the fact that I am at this point theorizing that our victim is a male from his goatee? Because that's all you're gonna get from me." Lanie replied with a huff.

"Whoa." Castle pipped up from Beckett's elbow, seeming to always be in the middle of whatever conversation was happening. He had that special power. "Chilly."

"Pardon me for being in a bad mood after kneeling in snow for the last 30 minutes. In new pants, at that." Lanie snapped at him. Beckett just raised her eye brows at the exchange, letting it play out. She knew full well that the two players could very easily defend themselves.

"That is a bad way to start the day." Castle seemed to be very serious in his consideration of this. Then he paused before saying, "Though I'm sure having your early morning wake up call interrupted by work is also not a good morning either." He said, giving her his all knowing smile.

"Castle!" Beckett scolded but from the look on Lanie's face, they all knew that Castle was probably right. They all stood silent for a moment before Castle continued.

"When you walked up your hair was a mess, your skin was flushed but not from the cold. And pardon my saying so but the good doctor has a lot of frustrated energy about her this morning." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Lanie finally snapped out of her stupor and turned to face Beckett, ignoring Castle.

"I'm going to get him back to the lab. I'll see what I can do about extracting him from this stupid suit and I'll see if I can find you an ID in it. I'll let you know what I find." She said, giving Beckett her best professional face. Beckett just nodded at her as she turned to go. She gave Castle the evil eye as she passed him.

Beckett and Castle stood in silence for a moment before Castle opened his mouth. "What are we gonna do?" he asked simply. Beckett nodded towards the car and started walking in that direction.

"We're going to go back to the precinct and see if CSU found anything useful in their sweep of the area." She said as they walked. They reached the car and both hopped in, glad to be leaving the cold. After Becket put the car into drive and got settled, she snuck a peak over at Castle. "You can't really tell all those things that you said to Lanie. I mean, you can't tell when someone…."

"Is frustrated? Oh, detective, my observation skills are better than you might think. And I put them to good use very often." Still staring straight ahead, Beckett seemed to swallow very hard.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So small deviation from what we normally see on the show in this Chapter. But I really like it and it adds something to the story that I like. So I hope you like it too. Promise to work it back around to Christmas again with the next chapter.

"But you never go down to CSU. You make Ryan or Esposito do it. You just read the reports." Castle pointed out with a look in his eye. It wasn't quite confused and it wasn't quite amused, but somewhere in between.

"They're busy." She said simply as she put her things back into her desk. She shrugged off her overcoat and untied her scarf, hanging them on the back of her chair. Castle's eyes followed the coat as it fell down her back, stopping at her ass and staring. Then he blushed.

"That doesn't usually stop you." He said after a pause where he was distracted.

Kate blew out an exasperated sigh and turned slowly around to face him. She put her hands on her hips. "I don't like going down to CSU. It gives me the creeps. But, they're good at their jobs. And I don't want to have to canvas the area around the crime scene like Ryan and Esposito. I picked the lesser of those two evils." She said, then paused before adding, "The quickest." She nodded and turned back to her desk, doing a quick survey.

"Why don't you like CSU?" he badgered her further, like a five year old incessantly asking questions. She threw a quick squint over her shoulder, picked up her file and walked away. He was left to stare, once again, at her ass as she walked from her. This time, she could feel his eyes on her and added an extra, albeit small, swing to her hips.

When she got halfway down the hall she called out behind her "Close your mouth and move your feet. I'm not holding the elevator for you."

Castle took off at a quick pace to catch up with her. He missed the secret smile that spread across her face.

Beckett walked cautiously through the doors to their Crime Scene Unit, as if she expected something to attack her right then and there. Castle puzzled this in his mind as he filed in behind her. She did a sweep of the room in true Beckett fashion and apparently found the man she was looking for. She raised the file and raised her voice saying "Louie."

"Detective, what a marvelous surprise!" came the over delighted response from a balding guy at a table, lit from beneath. He was short, at least half a foot shorter than Beckett, and nearly as round as he was tall. He was clearly in charge down here as well. He pushed his old fashioned glasses up on his nose and began to walk (or rather waddle) towards them. Heads around the room began to turn in her direction and Castle watched as every man in rooms eye's traveled the length of her body. For the first time ever, Castle saw Beckett fidget. "What can I do for you today sweetie?"

Beckett steeled her voice and replied, "What have you got for me on my snowman case?" a snicker rose from the peanut gallery.

"Well, right this way, sugar." Louie replied, sticky syrup dripping from his tongue. It was enough to even make Castle uncomfortable in the situation. He watched as Beckett almost visibly shuddered.

Louie took them to a small side room, with two tables laying out most of what they had gathered at the scene. The crime scene tech walked them through some cigarette butts found near the body, some water that had once been snow with some alleged particles in it and a takeout box. Castle was not impressed. He was also not impressed by the way the crime scene tech kept touching Beckett, in his mind creepily, and kept watching her body. He decided it was time to take action.

He went to point to a scrap of clothing to ask what it was and remained pinned very close to Beckett's side. As he pulled his hand back he rested it on the small of her back, a position men typically use to take possession of a female. He felt her back tense under his hand as she shot him a questioning look out of the corner of her eye. He couldn't tell at the moment exactly how mad she was.

To Castle's delight, the tech man didn't seem to miss the pseudo intimate gesture between the two. He looked Castle up and down for the first time since he had appeared in the lab. He went on describing the evidence to Beckett but with markedly less overt sexual overtones. Castle had moved to a more normal distance from Beckett assuming that his message had been received loud and clear.

About thirty minutes later, the tech wrapped up his speech and Beckett nodded her head.

"I'll get you the formal report this afternoon." He said, and then did the same slimy slide over her body with his eyes. Beckett raised her hand to a knot that had developed in her neck as she stood there.

"Thanks Louie." She said, trying to keep the exhaustion and annoyance out of her voice.

"No problem babe." And with that, Castle lost it. He couldn't stand the thought that the best homicide detective in the precinct was being so blatantly sexualized down here by men who didn't even know her. So his body took action, with very little direction from his mind.

He raised his hands to message her neck for her and laughed as he saw her eyes get wide briefly. "Let's get you upstairs hun. It's time for lunch." He said simply. He put his hand back on the small of her back and guided her out of the side room and out of the lab as a whole. Beckett waved a thanks over her shoulder.

Back in the elevator, with the doors shut, she said, "What the hell was that?"

"He was creepy. And he was putting his creepy eyes all over you." Castle said with a shudder.

"I know that. That is the reason I don't go to CSU. But I am perfectly capable of dealing with it myself." She said, staring straight ahead.

"But he was sexualizing you." Castle pointed out earnestly.

"Castle, what exactly do you think Nikki Heat is?" She said and gave him a piercing look as she walked out of the elevator.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I had someone suggest that they found the last chapter unrealistic. They just didn't see Kate putting up with sexual advances from coworkers. I have to say I wrestled with the same idea myself. What tipped the scale for me is I decided she wouldn't view him as worth her time. He's just a lab rat and it doesn't matter if he doesn't respect her or not. In the world of the precinct he's just a small cog in her wheel and she needs him to do his job. So she just avoids him. And I think there's a little more of an explanation in this chapter.

I've got the writing bug tonight and a direction for the next couple of chapters so updates may be more frequent in the coming days. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4

Beckett was just leaving the break room with a cup of coffee in her hand when she quite literally almost ran into Esposito. Ryan was only a few paces behind when she said "What'd you got?"

Ryan and Esposito exchanged a furtive glance as they followed in behind her, heading back to their desks. "Mostly a load of crap." Esposito said, obviously frustrated.

"The best lead we had was in a place called…" Ryan looked down at his notes before continuing, "'Kitten Around'. It's a 60, 40 bar down the alley adjacent from our dead snow man." He paused and noted the confused look on Beckett's face.

"What's a 60,40 bar?" she asked inquisitively.

With a glint in his eye, Castle replied, "60 year old men, 40 year old women. They go to mingle, have drinks and meet someone who's lived just enough of life, or has just enough money, to suit them."

"Right, but everyone said he just walked in and looked around. They'd never seen him there before and I'd say from first glance he's not in their normal male age bracket. He looked mid thirties at the oldest. Anyway, he just walked up to the bar, drank a scotch on the rocks and left. They said the only weird thing about him was that he kept watching the door. Oh and his clothes." Ryan finished his speech and looked up at Beckett expectantly. Unfortunately, this was exactly what she didn't want to hear.

"So no ID?" she asked rather dejectedly.

"No. Just three hours of yours truly here freezing his cute little ass off in the cold while you guys had a pleasant morning here in the warmth of the precinct." Esposito replied, clearly still annoyed with the way his day was going.

"Cute?" Castle asked and raised one eyebrow in Beckett fashion.

Beckett ignored both comments as she got agitated herself. "We hardly had a pleasant morning…" she trailed off and almost shuddered. "We went down to CSU."

"Wait, you went down there? By yourself? I thought we agreed you weren't doing that anymore." Esposito said and his chest puffed up a little, making him look even hulkier.

"Hey, I was there." Castle piped up from the sidelines again.

"I needed the information. You two were out slumming for women older than you and I couldn't very well send Castle down there by himself." Beckett gestured with her hands as she spoke.

"I think you missed the point slightly with the older…." Castle began but got cut off by equally devastating looks he got from all three detectives standing around him. "Not important, right." He said with a nod and shut his mouth.

"What did they find?" Ryan asked, trying to get back around to the practical side of the conversation.

"Just what you found, a load of crap. They had nothing conclusive, nothing interesting. He said they're still running some tests and will get us the official report but I'm not holding my breath on forensics making the case for us." Beckett sighed and hung her head slightly. Her perch on the edge of her desk was getting uncomfortable. She took a sip of coffee before raising her head again.

"One day, I'm going to find an excuse to hospitalize that creep down there." Esposito said, his eyes gently smoldering with flames of anger.

"It's not worth it, man. Believe me; I'd have hospitalized him long ago if it was." She said, taking another sip and trying to sound as calm as possible. Just then Beckett's desk phone rang and she walked slowly around to other side of her desk to answer it. She sat in her chair before picking up the phone and answering with her typical, "Beckett."

Meanwhile Castle walked closer to the boys, hoping to keep from being overheard. "Don't worry. I took care of the creep downstairs. I don't think he'll be bothering her again." Castle had an accomplished glint in his eye as he shared his little secret with Ryan and Esposito. There was a pause in which both detectives looked him up and down and then stared him in the eye like a suspect.

"And you really think he's going to be scared of you when he wasn't scared of me?" Esposito asked, squinting his eyes in a menacing way.

"Well, I tried a little bit of a different technique, you see." Castle began to tell his story but stopped abruptly when he heard Beckett cradle her phone. "Later." He whispered and both detectives rolled their eyes at him.

Beckett walked over to the trio, folder in hand. "That was Lanie. She's finished with the autopsy. Let's go Castle." She said, appearing to be all business at the moment. As she walked past him though, she threw Esposito a bone. "It would have been a shame if you'd really frozen off your cute little ass."

She just kept walking down the hall, leaving all three men smiling, and Esposito blushing just a little.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So this story has taken on a life of its own, and a different plot line from what I was originally thinking of. So... summary has been changed for that reason. I actually like it better now, I think it will focus on the Castle Beckett aspect more than I had originally thought it would. Which we all love! So, enjoy!

Chapter 5

"Please tell me you have something useful." Beckett said as she pushed through the doors to the autopsy suit, Castle in tow.

"Hello to you too." Lanie said from the other side of the room. "Nice to see you're spreading some Christmas cheer around this place." She added sarcastically.

"Christmas cheer?" Beckett just said and raised an eyebrow at Lanie, indicating that she knew better.

"Yes, it's that wonderful happy feeling that most normal human beings like to share with those they're close to at this time of year. It involves Christmas carols and presents and hot chocolate." Castle appeared to have taken the question as one that needed a literal answer and he was getting looks of disbelief from both female's faces. "Oh and mistletoe. Can't forget mistletoe." He said and smiled.

"Now that's some Christmas cheer I could get behind." Lanie said, in her voice that made everything sound dirty.

"Castle, I have a dead Frosty on my hands." Beckett pointed out the obvious, putting her hand on her hip.

"That is admittedly a little snag in whole holiday spirit I'll give you that." Castle said, making himself sound profound somehow.

"Besides, it's just Christmas. It's a day like any other day." Beckett ignored the look of outrage on Castle's face as his jaw dropped at her. "What do you have on our guy?" she turned back to Lanie.

"Well, I can confirm that he is actually a man, not a snowman." She said, gloving her hands. She pulled back the sheet from his upper torso. "He has a stab wound to the upper abdomen. It would have taken several hours for him to bleed out from a wound like this. It was very deep but it didn't hit any vital organs." She said, pointing to the spot.

"Any ideas about what kind of weapon?" Beckett asked, almost afraid to be hopeful.

"From all I can tell, it's just your ordinary, run on of the mill carving knife. I'm sure even you have one in your kitchen." Lanie said, giving Kate a look that must have been forged in their friendship because Castle was at a loss. "I did swab the wound in the rib for CSU to have a look at. We'll see if they can give us something more than that. No other wounds present. We'll of course have to wait for the tox screen, but I didn't see any indicators that there was anything in his system that shouldn't have been there." Beckett slowly nodded her head as she bit the inside of her cheek, thinking.

"What about an ID?" she asked.

"That's actually kind of curious if you ask me. There was nothing on him that had any personal value. No wallet, keys, cards, nothing. I think the suit didn't allow for that. So we ran his prints. There was no match found in CODIS, so the very least we know is that in life he was a law abiding citizen who didn't work for the government in any capacity. I've got his dental x rays but with nothing to compare them to, they're pretty useless. We don't even have a general area of the city to start looking in. We ran facial recognition data on him but we didn't get a hit on any missing person's reports. Either no one's missed him yet or the ones that have killed him." Lanie summed it up with a nod of her head.

"So you have no idea who he is. Great. That makes five of us." Beckett said with a little frustration in her undertones.

"No luck on your end either?" Lanie said, sounding slightly concerned.

"Nope, not yet at least." Beckett tried to sound a little upbeat. "Keep me posted?" she looked over at Lanie as she inched towards the doors again.

"Sure thing. By the way, before you go, call me tonight. We need some girl chat about that office Christmas party." Lanie said with a knowing look in her eye.

"Office Christmas party?" Castle asked, looking like a puppy at the same time excited and feeling left out.

"This years is going to be so much better than last year's." Lanie said, with a mischievous look in her eye. "Kate and I will be making sure neither of us makes a fool of ourselves this time." She winked at Castle.

"Now where's the fun in that?" he asked looking ever so innocent.

"It's this Thursday night Castle. I expect to see you there." Lanie said and pointed her finger at him. Beckett rolled her eyes and made her way through the doors as Castle gave a resounding "Yes ma'am."

He followed her through the autopsy doors, humming under his breath Frosty the Snowman.

"Seriously Castle?" she asked keeping the smile out of her voice and off her face. "You have a morbid Christmas spirit."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey ya'll! thanks for all the reviews and favorites. I really like the way Beckett feels in this chapter. For some reason, it just sits right with me. But the first part is more introspective than the rest of the fic is. Not my usual style but I like it. Let me know what you think!

I'm going to try to get the next chapter, about the party, up tonight so that it will be up before Christmas. After that, the Christmas stuff is mostly done and it will just take a little to tie up the fic. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

Beckett felt like her body was coursing with pent up energy. It had been two days since their dead Frosty crossed her path and they had nothing. NOTHING. Usually by this time in the case she at the very least had an idea of who the victim was. What they're life was like, who they loved and who loved them. But without even an ID at this point, she knew none of this. With none of this knowledge, she didn't have any idea of might have killed him. Or why. All she knew was how, and right now that wasn't particularly helpful.

On top of a feeling of being lost in her case, Beckett also experienced a feeling of being haunted by a ghost of a man with no name. One thing life had taught her was that having a family member taken from you was horrible. It was the worst experience any one could go through. That is to say, except for not knowing whether they were alive or dead. Beckett could feel, actually palpably feel, the family members of her victim out there somewhere, wondering what had happened to him. But maybe she was just projecting. After all, no one had reported him missing.

The night before, she hadn't been able to sit still. So she laced up her running shoes, telling herself a jog would do her good. A true adrenaline junkie, she thought it would clear her head. Her life's motto in recent years had become: get the blood moving and the mind will follow. So she ran and she thought, and when she came up with no answers she just kept running. Five miles and a bottle of water later she'd found no peace, just exhaustion. She'd collapsed after a shower, forgetting to eat and fell into a fit full slumber.

The sun rose the next morning and Beckett convinced herself this was going to be a better day. She told herself this was the day they would get their break; some stone turned would uncover the key. So she dressed and ate a bowl of cereal, trying desperately to avoid the pity feeling in her stomach.

At the precinct she fixed her own coffee as it was much too early for Castle to make his appearance. She sat down behind her desk and closed her eyes. She breathed a deep cleansing yoga breath before booting up her computer. She flexed her fingers above her key board and waited. After she'd logged on, she ran her cursory checks. Nothing.

She went through the hard copy file once again, looking through pictures from the crime scene and witness statements from the bars around the area. She looked at Lanie's notes, scouring them for some hidden clue. All she wanted was a direction, a place to turn to even begin to get some questions to find answers to. But she came up blank.

An hour later, in frustration, she closed the file and leaned back in her chair. She was getting nowhere fast. She pushed off from her desk, backing her chair back so she could stand. She drew a curious glance from Ryan and Esposito, but she ignored them. With measured steps, she left the bullpen.

* * *

Castle strutted into the precinct at his usual, rather late, hour. He had a smug smile on his face, like he knew some very important secret, and two coffee cups in his hands. He ran into Ryan and Esposito in the hall way getting off the elevator.

"Hey man, what's up?" Ryan said with his usual backward head nod.

"Nothing." He said, sounding rather chipper. Both detectives gave him a wary look. Castle soon caved out of curiosity more than anything else. "What's the deal with this Christmas party?"

"Nothing man. It's at the bar down the street. We make an effort to look nice. We have a few drinks, a few dances, a few kisses…" Esposito waggled his eyes at Castle. "You comin?"

"Well, I haven't been officially invited…" Castle said, obviously asking them to ask him.

"You were officially invited to work with us everyday either. What's different about this?" Esposito asked, but then he saw Castle's face fall slightly so he felt he had to make up for it. "You should come. You basically work here bro." Esposito shrugged his shoulders and looked at Ryan.

"Yeah dude. We'd miss you." Ryan offered with a smile. "But we gotta run and get these papers over to the DA. I think Beckett's in the gym." And with that, the two wandered off, slightly shaking their heads at the famous author who so desperately wanted to be invited to a cops' Christmas party.

Castle, meanwhile, scurried off to find Beckett, after leaving the coffee sitting on her desk.

* * *

He slowly opened the door to the fitness gym in the precinct. He had peered through the glass window to discover only Beckett occupying the modestly sized space. He had spotted her by the punching bags.

Once the door shut silently behind him, he made his way slowly over to her. Her back was to him and he wasn't sure why but he didn't want her to know he was there. Getting closer, he could see the sweat that had stained her brown hair almost black. Her tight pants were stuck to her body from the perspiration and her toned arms were slick. He swallowed hard as she kicked the bag right where his groin would be (if he was the bag). He watched her for another couple of minutes in silence until he began to feel awkward about watching her without her knowing. So he took two measured steps towards her.

"What do you want Castle?" she said without ever turning around, and giving the bag another well placed punch.

"How do you DO that?" he asked as she gave the bag one more punch before turning around to face him.

"I'm a detective Castle. It's what I do." She said, pulling off her boxing gloves as she spoke. She raised her eyes to meet his and before she could stop herself asked, "Like what you see?"

Dumbfounded for a split second, Castle just stood frozen. She began to walk towards him and his eyes widen at the thought that she was making an advance. He swallowed hard when she got just inside his personal space. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Cause I could teach you a move or two." And then she began to walk towards the showers to keep him from seeing her smile. It took him a second to recover and so he yelled at her back,

"Shouldn't we be working?"

"Nothing to work on Castle. I'm at a dead end. Teaching you to defend yourself would actually be the most productive thing I've done today." She sounded tired and bitter as she uttered the words.

"Oh." Was all he could think to say. She shook her head and resumed her trek to the women's showers. Then he added, "Lunch then?"

Beckett paused and thought for a moment before she caved. "Give me 15 minutes."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Well, here it is, the party. I hope I did it some justice. I will not be changing this fic's rating, if that gives you any indication of where this is going. That being said, I have some interesting ideas to explore after the holiday. Hope you stick around to see them.

Chapter 7

The pair sat across from one another at Remy's, enjoying a little silent camaraderie for a while. Castle kept a keen eye on Beckett, feeling like there might be something just simmering below the surface, about to explode. He wasn't completely sure if he wanted to know what it was or not. After a few minutes, he couldn't take the silence any more.

"So about this Christmas party tonight…"Castle started and drifted off as she shook her head yes, "Are you going?" he asked as he picked up his glass.

"Mmmhmm." Beckett said, putting her glass down. "I go every year. To make sure Lanie doesn't do anything too…embarrassing." She picked up a fry and twirled it around as she spoke before crunching down on it.

"Ahh, the good doctor has a wild side." Castle said with a knowing gleam in his eye.

"You have no idea what we've gotten into together." Beckett said and then flushed when she realized what she had revealed to Castle. His eyes danced in amusement but he decided to let that one go. He could wait to hear those stories, at least until tonight.

"You bringing a date?" he tried to sound nonchalant as he picked at his food.

"Nope." Beckett replied simply, crunching down on two more fries and licking her fingers to remove the grease that remained there. The action didn't go unnoticed by Castle.

"What about your Josh character?" he asked, picking up a fry of his own.

Beckett rolled her eyes at the slight edge in Castle's voice. "He's not a 'character,' he's a man and he's certainly not mine." Beckett seemed to miss the implication of her own statement. "He's working and it's not really a date type function. Ryan might bring Jenny but that's just because he's whipped." She said simply shrugging her shoulders a little, belying some tension there. "You going?" she asked, meeting his gaze for the first time since the conversation started.

"Yeah, Ryan and Esposito asked me to come by." He said, again picking at the remnants of his lunch.

"Did they now." She said simply. Richard Castle was lying, she knew his tells. But she wasn't going to completely burst his bubble.

"You can't have a party without the mix master, after all." He said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Best drinks in town." He winked at her a little.

"I will test you on this." She said before she grabbed the remaining three fries off his plate and ate them. Hers were already gone.

"Hey!" he said in mock anger.

"Sorry Castle. You know how much I love fries." She licked her fingers again, slower this time, knowing he was enjoying the view.

* * *

That night, Castle accidently on purpose found himself late for the Christmas party. He had several minor life "crisis" that he had to take care of before he could leave, including staring at his daughter for 30 minutes while she did homework. Somehow he had gotten behind with all of this and was set to arrive a half hour late.

If Castle really admitted to the reason for his tardiness, it would have been a secret desire to be late. He was a fan of a grand entrance, like mother like son. He also had this vision of locking eyes with Beckett across a smoke filled room and being drawn towards one another like magnets. He was a romantic after all.

So, clad in nice denim and a midnight blue button up, he pulled up to the bar near the precinct. He stopped just inside the door and scanned the crowd, looking for Beckett. Not seeing her face among the off duty officers he frowned. He settled for Ryan and Esposito who were standing with the Captain.

"Hey boys." Castle sidled up to them near a high bar table.

"Hey man, glad you could make it." Esposito said and shook his hand, followed by Ryan.

"Captain." Castle said, respectful of his make believe superior.

"Castle! I'm sure you're here to liven up the mood tonight." The captain said and took a sip of his drink, which, from the looks of it, was scotch neat. Classy.

Castle smiled and nodded his head a little. "That's the plan sir." He said laughing.

"Let me get you a drink. What kind of man are you?" the captain said, a mocking sternness in his voice.

"Bourbon on the rocks, if you please."

"Good man."

He chatted with the men for several minutes, going over the frustrations of their snowman case. Castle's eyes darted to the door the few times it opened, which didn't go unnoticed by our male detectives. Everyone was laughing at a joke that Castle had just made and instantly forgot when finally the door opened to a sight he recognized. Across the smoky haze, he saw Lanie step in wearing a gold dress that left little to the imagination. His eyes trailed up and down her curves appreciatively. If he had had the presence of mind to look back, he would have seen all three men, including the captain, doing exactly the same thing. Esposito cleared his throat after a moment and straightened his posture. He'd caught Lanie's eye.

Peeking out from behind Lanie and the couple of other people on the entering platform, Castle got a glimpse of a red peep toe pump attached to a wonderfully sculpted lower limb. As the crowd moved it was revealed, as he suspected, to belong to Beckett. He followed that leg up to a black off the shoulder long sleeved dress. It was nothing compared to Lanie's, though this wasn't a surprise either. That is, until he caught glimpse of a slit on the right leg that went clear to her panty line. Castle swallowed hard.

Beckett caught his appreciative eye as she scanned the crowd. She smiled to him before turning to say something to Lanie. As they stepped off the platform, the boys lost sight of them through the people.

"Wow." The Captain said, drawing unbelieving looks from the other three. "What? I'm old but I'm not blind." And they all chuckled, still a little distracted by the visions that just entered.

"Seriously man. Those two." Esposito just shook his head and took a deep breath. "Could be a long night."

"It's a good thing I'm no drunker than I am." Ryan said, looking into his glass. "I could get into a lot of trouble."

"Where is Jenny tonight anyway?" Castle asked, trying to change the subject.

"Umm, she declined the offer to spend hours with a bunch of cops in a smoke filled bar." Ryan offered, palms up.

"What's wrong with her?" Esposito said, smilingly.

"I know man." Ryan just shook his head. The four men stared at their drinks in unison for a moment until a female voice jarred them from their reverie.

"How are my favorite fella's doing tonight?" Lanie asked, leaning up against Esposito's shoulder. Esposito indicated that he would offer her his seat at the table which she waved at.

"I don't plan to stand still very long." She caught his glance and winked.

"Don't wind up in the same predicament as last year." Beckett's voice came from very near Castle's ear and he turned to smile at her. She leaned her right elbow on his shoulder, drink in her opposite hand.

"That was your doings missy." Lanie said, pointing her finer at Beckett. Suddenly the bar seemed in full party mode as a song started beating through the speakers. "Alright, who's dancing with me?" she demanded. She pointed at the Captain, and being a man, he was defenseless to her advance. As he got up from his seat, Beckett took it. She crossed her legs, allowing the slit to fall so that the majority of her leg as uncovered.

Castle looked down at that moment to see more her legs than he'd ever imagined. He found his gaze frozen there for what seemed like a lifetime. When he was finally able to trail it back to her eyes, she crooked an eyebrow at him. He blushed a bit, shrugged and simply said, "I like what I see." in a low whisper only she could hear. It sent a shiver down her spine.

The drinks flowed heavily from good stock as the dance filled up with people. Beckett watched as Lanie and Esposito did a dance representation of sex in front of her. It was then she knew her friend was drunk. And judging from the smile on her face about it, so was she.

Another, slower, song began to ring through the speakers and Beckett jumped at the feeling of a hand on her lower back. "Care to dance, detective?" she smiled a small smile and accepted the hand he offered her, another sure sign she was drunk. She let him lead her onto the dance floor, and he pulled her close to his chest. One hand went just above the curve of her spine, the other held hers as he moved her around the dance floor. Her arm went around his shoulders and rested there.

As the slow strains flowed on, the hand on her back drew circles there, itching to feel actual skin. Relaxed by the alcohol and the mood, she let her hand play in his hair line slightly. She bit the smile off her bottom lip.

Passing Lanie and Esposito, Lanie gave him a wink and smile before returning her attention to her man. Soon, Beckett laid her head on his shoulder and fell closer into his chest. He was sure she'd be able to feel the increase in his heart rate.

As the song came to a close, Castle smelled her hair once more. Then, surprising even himself, he threw her out, spun her around and dipped her at the end of the song. Seeing the skin of her thigh uncovered again.

"Mmm, too much alcohol for that." She said as he brought her upright. He chuckled and led her, hand on her lower back, back to their table. Lanie and Esposito also made a move to leave the dance floor.

After another round of drinks, Lanie looked at Beckett and said, "I think I'm ready to blow this joint." Causing Beckett to giggle slightly at her. Lanie shook her head at her friend. "You ready or can you get home yourself?"

"I'm fine. Go." Beckett waved her friend along. "I won't do anything you wouldn't do." Beckett smiled and moved her head, mimicking Lanie.

"Girl, then at least promise me you'll do something I WOULD do." Lanie gave her an expectant look and again Beckett just giggled.

"Way too much alcohol." Was all she could manage to explain her giggles. Lanie rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. When Castle turned to comment something to Esposito, he was nowhere to be seen. Ryan had left already to go home to Jenny. Castle remarked to Beckett,

"Looks like we're the only ones not getting lucky tonight." He looked at Beckett and waggled his eyebrows, "Unless…"

Beckett only giggled in response and leaned closer to him, grabbing his arm. He took a chance and let his hand fall to the exposed skin on her knee. "Oh Richard Castle, you haven't had any luck yet until you've had me." She said and winked at him.

She threw back the rest of her drink and made to stand up, but the grip he had on her knee tightened, keeping her there.

"Where are you going?" he asked low and in her ear.

"Bout time to go home, I guess." She said with a giggle again. Giggly Beckett was definitely new. Her eyes grew as he inched his hand up her leg so slowly it was almost imperceptible.

"But you never know when my luck might arrive." She held his gaze for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then she reached down and grabbed his hand, holding it in her own. She gave him a seductive squint and tugged on it.

"Come on lucky, we'll share a cab." He stood and let his hand fall to the curve of her spine, leading her out of the bar.

"Just how lucky are we talking here?" he asked, whispering in her ear. "I mean, all the way lucky, a little lucky…"

"Hmmm, luck is a tricky thing to predict." She whispered back to him, letting her breath fall on his ear.

A/N2: Merry Christmas ya'll!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I anticipate one or two more at most. I wrote this in a hurry so forgive any mistakes. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 8

Beckett woke up the next morning to a pounding in her head. She groaned as she rolled over, trying to replay the events of the previous night in her foggy mind. She got up to the part where she left the bar with Castle when she caught the scent of coffee in the air and she panicked. Lifting the blankets, she found herself only wearing her bra and underwear. She looked over and saw her dress and shoes strewn on the floor. She groaned again.

* * *

*****Flashback******

The cab drew up to sidewalk in front of her. She grabbed Castle's arm behind her and dragged him along with her.

"Care to share a cab?" she asked and smiled over her shoulder. Castle didn't answer but he put up no resistance to her tugs. He slid in the cab after her but he couldn't help but feel confused when she gave the driver her address.

She leaned her head back on the seat afterwards, a small smile playing on her face. She slipped her arm through his and left it there, eyes closed. They sat there in silence as the cab drove on. Soon, she felt the cab slowly come to a stop and she opened her eyes to see they were in front of her building.

"Come up for some coffee?" she asked, slurring her words only slightly. He stared into her eyes for a moment, thinking.

"Sure, sober up before going home." He said with a nod. They slid out of the cab and he paid the driver. She let him, which was unusual. She led him in the building to the elevator and pushed the button. She leaned her body sideways against the wall as they waited. She stared at him.

"You're awfully quiet." She said as the elevator pinged. He put his hand on the small of her back and led her into the compartment.

"What should I be saying?" he asked as his hand slid around to her hip as they leaned against the back wall of the otherwise empty elevator.

"I don't know. You usually never want for words." She said, again closing her eyes.

"I'm just waiting." He said after a pregnant pause.

"For what?" she asked, opening her eyes and raising them to meet his.

"What comes next." He said with a lot of weight. The elevator suddenly opened to her floor. He led her by the small of her back to her door. She handed him her keys to open the door, which he didn't comment on.

He took off his coat once he was in her apartment and laid it on the back of the couch. He turned to see her unsteadily standing in front of him. "Exactly how much did you have to drink?" he asked.

"I lost count." She said truthfully. "I told you there was a reason Lanie and I got into trouble last year." She said laughing a little. She clapped her hands and said, "Well I've got water, coffee, wine, and bourbon. How strong of a substance do you want?" she asked.

"Coffee? Decaf?" he asked, leaning on the couch. She looked slightly disappointed but nodded. She walked into the kitchen to put a pot on. Once it brewed she brought two large steaming mugs out and joined him on the couch. She took a sip and smiled into her mug. She again leaned back and closed her eyes and sighed.

"You ok?" he asked after taking a drink from his own mug.

"Mmmmmm, just tired. Too much alcohol." She said without moving anything, even her eyes.

"And here I was thinking I was going to get lucky." He said, his hand finding her exposed knee as he spoke.

"We never established _how_ lucky you were getting Castle." She said with a smile, opening her eyes to look at him. "Consider yourself lucky to have been asked up." She said with a wink.

"Someone thinks a lot of herself." He said jokingly.

"Oh it's not my opinion. I can give you several names to verify it." she said before closing her eyes again. She sipped on her coffee occasionally before setting it down on the coffee table. She curled her legs up and her head found his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and sat there for several minutes.

"Maybe I should get you to bed." He said and felt her chuckle against him. She didn't move. "Seriously, you need to sleep it off. C'mon." he nudged her and slowly she shifted so that she could stand. He stood first, in front of her and offered her his hand. She took it and allowed him to lead her back to her bedroom. She stepped out of her shoes while he turned back her bed.

"Could you help me with this?" she said and turned around indicating her zipper to him. With shaky hands he grasped the zipper and slowly pulled it down. He marveled at the skin revealed there and ached to touch it. But he resisted. Once it had reached the bottom, she spun around to face him. "Why don't you stay here tonight? Don't try to get a cab this late." She said, her eyes only half open. "You can sleep here or on the couch."

He seemed to think about the offer for several moments. Finally he nodded and asked, "Got a pillow? I'll sleep in there." She offered him a pillow and a blanket before he made his way back into the living room.

* * *

Beckett leaned over and found an oversized T shirt lying around her bed. She picked it up and put it on before venturing out of her bedroom. She followed the scent of coffee into the kitchen, where she found Castle opening a box of cereal he found in her cabinet.

"Hey." She said in a whisper, leaning on the wall of her kitchen. He turned around to face her with a smile on his face.

"Morning. How do you feel?" he asked. She groaned a little in response.

"Uhh, I'm alive." She said. "Is that coffee?" she asked, indicating two mugs out on the counter.

"It's about to be." He said as he reached for the pot. He poured two mugs and handed one to her. "Cereal?"

"Yeah that's fine." He reached up and found another bowl. He poured cereal into them and then went to the fridge for milk. Handing her a spoon and her bowl, they walked towards the kitchen table.

"Crazy night." He commented, feeling rather awkward. She snorted a little, immediately regretting it.

"You could say that." She said still looking down. "Thanks though. For getting me home. That's usually Lanie's job." She said, blushing slightly.

"No problem. She was otherwise engaged I believe." He said, a huge smile on his face. She met his gaze for the first time and smiled in return. "Going to the precinct today?" he asked

"That's the plan. If I can get rid of this hangover." She said. "What about you?"

He shrugged, "I guess that mostly depends on you." He said. It was an innocent comment about the state of his working in the precinct but it carried a lot of weight as well. Just then, Beckett's cell phone rang from the kitchen counter. She stood, tugging at the bottom of her t shirt to make sure that it covers her.

"Beckett." She answers her phone after seeing that its Ryan on the other end.

"Hey, just wondering if you're coming in today. Esposito called in. It seems everyone else had a much better time last night than I did." She could hear him laugh on the other end.

"I was planning to." She said as she drew her fingers through her hair.

"Good. Ran into the Chief this morning. He says if we don't make progress on the Frosty case in 48 hours we have to call it."

Beckett sighed and closed her eyes. She brought one hand up to her eyes and rubbed them. "Tell the Chief I'll be in after lunch. If you have any ideas you can work on before then, that's fine. Otherwise I'll see you this afternoon."

Beckett hung up with Ryan and turned back to face Castle at her table. She walked back to her seat in silence and resumed eating.

"What's up?" he asked, not being able to contain his curiosity any longer.

"Chief says we have to call the Frosty case if we don't make progress in 48 hours." She said, not looking at him.

"Call it?" he asked confused.

She met his eyes, looking troubled and hurt. "Cold." She said blatantly.

He took a sip of his coffee, processing. "That's never happened before." He said. She nodded, poking her spoon into her bowl repeatedly. "What do we do?" he asked. She remained silent for so long he wondered if she'd actually heard him.

"Wanna take a ride Castle?"


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Ok, we're getting further and further from the real show universe and into one I've created in my own mind. But it's a pretty cozy place I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a side of Beckett that we don't get to see very often in the show but I think it's very real and does exist. I think this is what I would do if I were in Beckett's shoes and I think we actually have a lot of similar personality traits. So I hope that this feels in character. But I'd love to hear what you think!

Chapter 9

"Can I shower first?" he asked her, looking innocent enough. She almost cracked a smile but instead she rolled her eyes.

"After I've had mine." She said pointedly at him and went off in the direction of the bathroom.

"If you need any help washing your back, just yell." He said with a huge boyish grin on his face. "I'll be there in a flash."

"I'm taking my gun with me." Her voice rang out from the bedroom but he could tell she was smiling as she said it.

"Party pooper." He replied and continued to eat his cereal while he glanced over the paper. He heard he water start running and he tried valiantly NOT to think about Beckett taking her clothes off. Then he tried equally hard NOT to think about Beckett in the shower, running her hands over herself as she soaped up. Well, he did TRY.

It wasn't long before he heard the water turn off in the shower and he stood up from his place at the table. He put away both their bowls and was heading in that direction when suddenly and very scantily clad Beckett appeared in the doorway.

His eyes took in her bare skin above and below her towel and he swallowed hard. He met her eyes, expecting anger at his lingering stare. Instead he found amusement, the kind that said she was enjoying the fact that she actually had total control over him at the moment.

"I'm done. I think the clothes you left the last time you slept here are in the closet." She said and lead him into her bedroom.

* * *

A fully clothed Castle eyed Beckett as she sipped the last of her coffee, leaning against the counter in the kitchen. "Where are we going exactly?" she just smiled with her eyes over the top of her mug.

"Somewhere very peaceful, Castle." Was all she'd say.

"You should know you're making me very nervous. There will be people to report me missing if you kill me." He pointed out, leaning against the opposite counter.

"Castle, I'm not dumb enough to spend a life in prison over YOU." She said, though the smile on her face said she didn't really mean the insult. "Come on then." She said, putting her mug down. She grabbed her leather jacket from the closet, putting it over her white t shirt and jeans. She held his jacket out to him. "You're gonna need this." She said. She went to the side table where all of her stuff lands when she gets home every day. She holstered her gun in the small of her back. Her badge went in a coat pocket and her phone in the other. She grabbed her keys and motioned to Castle to follow her out of the building.

He followed her out of the building and down to the sidewalk but he stopped when she passed her cruiser. "Umm, Beckett. I think you're forgetting something." When she turned on her heels, he pointed to the car with his thumb. His eyes looked wary.

"This is not an official trip Castle. We're not taking the cruiser." She said and turned again and continued walking. He scampered after her, hot on her heels.

"What do you mean? Where are we going?" he asked when he reached her side. All she did in lieu of an answer was cut her eyes at him. He was getting nothing out of her.

She led him a few blocks away to a parking garage. Thoroughly confused, Castle followed, silent for once. When they'd climbed the stairs to the third landing, he noticed a sparkle in her eye. She walked to a set of lockers that adorned one of the walls and pulled out her keys. He leaned against the lockers as she opened it, feeling lost and a little annoyed. Suddenly she was handing him a helmet, with a blank face. He just stared at it for a moment.

"Well you can't come if you don't take it." She said to him, grabbing her own helmet from the locker. A slow grin spread across his face as realization dawned on him.

"Seriously?" he asked, still not taking the helmet from her.

"Don't make me regret this." She said and he finally took the helmet from her, a dopey smile still on his face. As she walked away from him, he couldn't help but notice a little extra swing in her step. He followed her to a space where her Harley Softail was parked and he stood back in awe as she looked it over. She slid on the helmet before she threw her right leg over the bike to straddle it. He just stood there with the same stupid look on his face when she turned to meet his gaze.

"Well get on or I'm gonna leave you." She said.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to remember this forever." She rolled her eyes at him as he slid his helmet on. He threw his leg over, getting settled behind her on the bike.

"Have you ever done this before?" she asked him over her shoulder.

"Never." He said, still smiling. She surprised him by grabbing his hands and placing them firmly on her waist.

"Put your feet up and hold on. When I lean, you lean. Got it?" she asked over her shoulder. He moved his fingers slightly on her sides, finding a comfortable position.

"Yep."

"Good." She said and cranked the bike up. It roared to life and she bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling too big. She maneuvered the bike out of the parking garage slowly and onto the street. She aimed the bike in the direction she knew would have the least traffic to get them out of the city. It was slow going while in the city limits but once they crossed over, the lanes opened up. Biting her lip again, she eased the bike into a much higher speed, loving the way the wind blew through her hair. She felt Castle's hands grip harder on her sides out of surprise. She felt his body lean in closer to hers and she smiled again.

They continued on the highway for a few miles until she took an exit onto a country road that would lead them to the same place. But it would be more fun. She was pleasantly surprised at how well Castle read her bodily cues, leaning into curves with her effortlessly.

Twenty minutes out of the city, his hand slipped from their perch and slid around her waist. There wasn't a whole lot she could do about it at the time. She thought for a moment and decided she really didn't care.

She urged the bike up in speed again, feeling a little reckless. This is what she did to feel better. Actually this, and sex, is what she did to feel. It got her adrenaline pumping and her head buzzing. She loved it.

Castle, to his credit, was rolling with the new fearless Beckett he was encountering. He loved it, not to mention the current positioning of their bodies. And the fact that he got to see Beckett straddling her beloved bike. It needed a name, he decided.

Another thirty minutes went by and the two were still just enjoying the sensation of almost flying. Occasionally around a stiff curve he hung tighter to her waist and he never seemed to release that added tension. At one point she would have sworn he was smelling her hair. His head came up to rest on her shoulder, watching everything around him. He stole several glances at the pure glee on her face. It made him happy.

As they neared their destination, Beckett felt at ease with life. The turmoil in her mind about the case had subsided and she felt the weight of it lift marginally off her shoulders. She'd accomplished her goal and cleared her head. As she turned the bike up a gravel drive at a crawl, she expected Castle to lean back and release her but he remained exactly where he was. She smiled.

She caught sight of a man walking around the house in work boots and overalls. A huge smile split her face and she raised her hand in a wave.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well, guys, this is the last installment of this story. I'm not really sure I'm completely happy with the ending but …. Oh well. It will have to do. When the muse took a sharp left somewhere in this story, things got a little off track and I never really got them back around to where I was going. But anyway, I thank you guys for going on this ride with me! And for all your input along the way. Just so you know, the plan is to work on All the Songs Make Sense as well as go back and work on some of my unfinished pieces. So look for that to come. Hopefully those endings will sit better with me.

Chapter 10

"Well, if it isn't Miss Hardnosed herself." The man said, a smile creeping onto his face. He stood at a distance from the bike and shook his head slowly.

"In the flesh." She said, a smile on her own face returning his. She waited for him to make the first move before she got off the bike. She had completely forgotten about Castle until she felt his grip tighten on her sides slightly. The man took one step towards the bike and opened his arms.

"Well get over here." He said and walked towards her as she dismounted. He pulled her into a soft, father like hug. She stepped back and removed her helmet. She heard Castle clear his throat behind her and looked over her shoulder at him. "You brought a friend?" the man asked

"That is Richard Castle…" She said, crossing her arms in front of her. Castle clumsily dismounted the bike, very unlike the graceful way Beckett had done it. "novelist and amateur police detective. He's my sort of partner."

Castle came up to the duo and held his hand out to shake. The older gentleman took it lazily and smiled again.

"Jim Catron." He said simply. Castle nodded in acknowledgement and turned to give Beckett a slightly confused look. Jim intercepted the look and added, still shaking his hand, "Ex-homicide detective. Beckett here took my job."

Beckett smiled as she slugged his arm lightly. He feigned hurt and smiled as she clarified, "I took over your position when you retired to come run this place."

"Same thing." He said, giving her a grin.

"He writes books about me. Don't give him the wrong ideas or they'll end up in print." She said, shaking her head.

"Well, come inside. I was headed in for a cup of coffee." He said and ushered them through the door of a modest farm home. Beckett stepped in, looking like she knew exactly where she was going. Castle followed, looking around furiously. He followed her into the kitchen where she stopped to lean on the counter opposite the coffee maker. Jim ushered to the table in the middle of the room as he walked past and Beckett moved to take a seat. Castle, still confused, followed. He tried to catch Beckett's eye but she avoided him, preferring to keep him in the dark a little longer. As the coffee started brewing, Jim puttered around the room, opening cabinets and pulling down mugs and cookies. He placed everything on the table and came back with a full pot of coffee and poured three cups. He finally took the third of four seats around the round, wooden table and looked at the other two occupants.

"Well, what can I do for you Beckett?" he asked quietly. She blushed a pretty pink shade and stared down at her coffee mug for a moment, fiddling with the handle. While she paused, Jim turned to discretely study Castle, who was not so discretely studying Beckett. He smiled. "Come on, out with it. What's the problem?" he said turning back to Beckett, putting a stare on her.

"How do you know this wasn't a social call?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"Because you didn't call first. That and you've never come here on a purely social call." He said, giving Castle a wink. "Not that I mind, mind you. But I can tell there's something bothering you."

"It's this case we got last week. Guy gets stabbed while wearing a Frosty suit right before Christmas. And no one knows anything." She looked him in the eye while she talked but then turned to stare wistfully out the window. "I just can't seem to let it go. There's no leads, no ideas, not even an identity on our vic. No one misses him." She said sadly, turning back to the table.

Jim just sat still for a moment, looking at Beckett and then out the window. He had a faraway look in his eye like he was remembering twenty years ago. When his eyes returned to the table he saw Beckett again staring at her coffee and Castle again starring at her.

"How long?" he asked simply.

"48 hours." Beckett replied

"You just have to let some of them go hun. It's never easy and it's never simple. But some people make no personal connections on purpose. Some people live on this world instead of in it. Some people have no one to miss them." He said finally, looking sad.

"That's depressing." Castle said, the first words he'd spoken since entering the house. "And it makes for a boring story." Jim gave him a confused look at that last part.

"Ignore him. He's a writer." Beckett said with an eye roll.

He turned back towards Beckett, taking her advice. "It's damn depressing but you can't change the way people live. Just like you can't change the fact that they're dead." Beckett nodded her head, looking out the window again.

"I gotta get me one of these." She said, indicating the farm.

"Only if you have someone to live on it with." He replied. He gave Beckett a look, and then glanced at Castle. Beckett laughed a little and shook her head. He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Got time for some manual labor before you go back?" he asked and pushed his chair back from the table.

"I was hoping you'd ask that." She smiled and moved to stand up. Castle followed suit and Beckett looked down. "Castle, I hope those aren't expensive shoes."

* * *

Beckett was brushing down a beautiful Appalachian horse named Bertha a half hour later, losing herself in the rhythm of her brush. She glanced over and saw Castle mucking out her stable.

"You really didn't have to do that Castle." She said over her shoulder.

"Richard Castle does not back down from a challenge." He called back. Beckett laughed and shook her head at him.

"Bertha and I think you're strange." She called at him. Unbeknownst to her, Castle had come up slowly to lean against the door frame, lying his pitch fork against the opposite wall.

"Like you back down from challenges. Right." He said. She turned to retort, mouth open when she caught sight of him. He had on just a white t shirt and jeans, showing off his upper body muscles nicely. He was slightly sweaty and a little dirty. If it weren't for the expensive shoes, he might look like a stable hand. Her gaze drifted over his body slowly. "Like what you see?" he said, giving her a wink.

"Please Castle." She said, and rolled her eyes. She turned back to Bertha, her back now to him. He walked up behind her, until he was close enough to smell her.

"Please what?" he whispered in her ear. He could feel her body twitch as he stood there and breathed on her ear. She sighed.

"Please don't." she said sadly.

"Why?" he asked and she turned around to face him.

"This case, your presence, the holiday season, its….." she trailed off.

"Frustrating?" he finished for her. She sighed again and nodded. "So you're being frosty because you're frustrated."

"I'm not being frosty." She said, and crossed her arms.

"You know there's a really easy way to cure frost bite." He said, his voice low as he moved minutely closer to her. "And frustration of all kinds." He said, starring in her eyes.

"Castle…" she started but he kissed the side of her mouth. She had meant to be chastising but it came out as a groan instead. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as his lips moved over to fully his hers. It was a soft kiss, sweet before he broke away.

"I promise I could make you forget." He whispered just above her lips. She closed the distance between them. When she felt his tongue on her lips, she allowed him access. A sweet kiss turned passionate in the blink of an eye. When he broke away from her lips, she groaned.

"I thought you said you were going to release my frustrations, not add to them." She looked into his eyes.

"I'd be more than happy to oblige." He said, and nodded his head towards a pile of hay in the corner. He wagged his eyebrows at her and made her laugh.

"No thanks Castle." She said, and then a purely evil look flashed across her face. She moved her head towards the bike, parked within sight of the barn. "Wanna take a ride Castle?"

"To where, detective?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"No telling. But I promise it will be a wild ride." She said with a wink.

"Detective, you never cease to surprise me." He said, slowly shaking his head. "And to think you made me sleep on the couch last night."

"Good things come to those who wait Castle." She said, looking mysterious. She took his hand and pulled him forward, towards the bike. She waved at Jim as they passed and he returned it with a shake of his head. They slid on their helmets and straddled the bike easily. "You better hold on tight Castle." She said and revved up the engine.

Fin.

Thanks again!


End file.
